Substrate cleaving tool and method

ABSTRACT

A cleaving tool provides pressurized gas to the edge of a substrate to cleave the substrate at a selected interface. A substrate, such as a bonded substrate, is loaded into the cleaving tool, and two halves of the tool are brought together to apply a selected pressure to the substrate. A compliant pad of selected elastic resistance provides support to the substrate while allowing the substrate to expand during the cleaving process. Bringing the two halves of the tool together also compresses an edge seal against the perimeter of the substrate. A thin tube connected to a high-pressure gas source extends through the edge seal and provides a burst of gas to separate the substrate into at least two sheets. In a further embodiment, the perimeter of the substrate is struck with an edge prior to applying the gas pressure.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.09/371,436 filed Aug. 10, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,740.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to substrates, such as may be used forintegrated circuit fabrication, micro-machining applications, andsimilar substrates, and more particularly to cleaving hybrid orcomposite substrates.

Semiconductor device fabrication technology continues to advance in thepursuit of smaller, faster devices. Integrated circuits devices becomemore complex, and in many cases, bigger. New materials and methods arebeing developed to meet these and other performance requirements. Forexample, many integrated circuits are fabricated on a silicon “wafer”,which was sawn out of a generally round ingot, or boule, and polished onat least one side. Not long ago, silicon wafers typically had a diameterof about 2-4 inches. Then, six inch, and now eight-inch, wafers becamecommonplace, and the industry is moving toward silicon wafers with adiameter of twelve inches for some applications. The larger diameterwafers can yield more chips per wafer, and improve throughput. Notsurprisingly, the larger wafers are generally much more expensive thanthe smaller wafers.

Many integrated circuit devices are fabricated within a very narrowplanar region close to the surface of the wafer. The remainder of thewafer provides mechanical support and may provide other functions, suchas impurity gettering or a backside electrical contact. Thus, thesemiconductor material may only need to be of device (i.e. high) qualityfor a thin region near the surface of the wafer. Epitaxial growthprocesses have been developed to address this issue. Generally, a thinfilm of high-purity or other high-quality film of semiconductor materialis grown on a substrate, which can be the same material, or a differentmaterial, than the grown film. Unfortunately, epitaxial growth processeshave not been easy to scale for use with the increased wafer diameters,and yields and throughput have suffered.

Wafer bonding is another process that uses a relatively thin film ofsemiconductor material. In some instances, a thin film of silicon, forexample, is bonded to an insulating substrate, such as silicon oxide, toform a semiconductor-on-insulator (“SOI”) structure. Many techniqueshave been developed to bond one wafer to another, using adhesives,surface activation, chemical activation, and the like. Some times a bulkwafer of silicon is bonded to an insulating substrate and then thesilicon is lapped to the desired thickness, and other times a thin filmof silicon is transferred to the insulating wafer.

Other wafer bonding methods have been developed for purposes other thanto fabricate SOI substrates, such as transferring a thin film ofhigh-quality semiconductor material onto a semiconductor or othersubstrate. Alternatively, it may be desirable to produce a thin film ofmaterial to form a layer in a micro-electrical-mechanical system(“MEMS”) device. Accordingly, a technique and a device for cleavingsubstrates is desirable for producing a thin film of material to betransferred and/or for separating bonded wafers from each other, and forother purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for cleavingsubstrates, including composite substrates.

In one embodiment, a composite substrate of two wafers bonded togetherhas a perimeter notch resulting from an edge-finishing process,typically performed by the wafer manufacturer, of one or both wafers. Aseal is formed around at least a portion of the perimeter notch todefine a plenum. A burst of gas is provided to the plenum to pressurizethe plenum and cleave the substrate at a selected plane. In a furtherembodiment, the wafers are held together prior to separation with aselected pressure to facilitate cleaving the wafers while reducingbreakage. In a still further embodiment, the pressure applied to thesubstrate during the cleave process varies across the substrate in aselected fashion.

These and other embodiments of the present invention, as well as some ofits advantages and features are described in more detail in conjunctionwith the text below and attached figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a simplified cross section of a composite substrate with twoedge-finished wafers bonded together;

FIG. 1B is a simplified cross section of a composite substrate with oneedge-finished wafer and one flush-edged wafer bonded together;

FIG. 1C is a simplified cross section of a composite substrate with twoflush-edged wafers bonded together;

FIG. 2A is a simplified illustration of a wafer cleaving system;

FIG. 2B is a simplified top view of a portion of the wafer cleavingsystem shown in FIG. 2A, further illustrating details of a gas port andan edge seal;

FIG. 2C is a simplified cross section of a portion of a substratecleaving apparatus with a substrate disposed in a tool;

FIG. 2D is a simplified cross section of an O-ring with a bent gasdelivery tube;

FIG. 2E is a simplified flow chart of a process according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2F is a simplified diagram of a wafer cleaving system according toan alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a simplified cross section of an O-ring and gas delivery tubewith a tubing retainer; FIG. 3B is a simplified cross section of anO-ring with a tubing retainer collet;

FIG. 4 is a simplified cross section of a portion of a wafer-cleavingtool having another embodiment of an O-ring and base shell;

FIG. 5 is a simplified representation of the relationship of variouselements of a cleave tool and a cleave front;

FIG. 6A is a simplified sectioned view of an edged tool with anintegrated gas port;

FIG. 6B is a simplified representation of a wafer cleaving system usingmechanical force and gas pressure; and

FIG. 6C is a simplified flow chart of a process according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a cleaving apparatus, method, andtools. Several situations may arise where it is desirable to cleave asubstrate, such as to separate a thin film of material from a donorwafer, or to separate two bonded substrates.

A thin film separation method, known as a controlled-cleave process(“CCP”), is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/026,034 by Henleyand Cheung, filed Feb. 19, 1998, and which is incorporated herein forall purposes. In the CCP process, ions and/or other particles areimplanted into a wafer to form a cleave layer within the donorsubstrate. Energy is then applied to the donor substrate to initiate andpropagate a cleave front or fronts that separates a thin film ofmaterial from the donor substrate. Typically, a target, or handle, waferis bonded to the donor wafer between the ion implantation step and thecleave step to form a composite wafer. The thin film remains attached tothe handle wafer after cleaving, and may be further processed to enhancethe bonding between the thin film and the handle wafer.

FIG. 1A is a simplified cross section of a portion of a compositesubstrate 10 formed from a first wafer 12 bonded to a second wafer 14 atan interface 16. The first wafer has a weakened and/or stressed layer18, which may have been formed by implanting protons or other particles(e.g. hydrogen, deuterium, any combination of these) at a selected depthand concentration, using a plasma immersion ion implantation or beamline implantation or diffusion process, for example. The first wafer 12,as supplied from the manufacturer, has a finished edge 20 in theapproximate shape of a truncated cone with rounded corners. The secondwafer 14, as supplied from the manufacturer, also has a finished edge22, but in the approximate shape of a bullet nose. The shapes of thewafer edges are given as examples only, and illustrate that a perimetergroove 24 forms between wafers with finished edges. The perimeter groovetypically extends essentially around the substrate (except, e.g., in theregion of a wafer alignment “flat”), the depth of the groove typicallybeing greater than the wafer alignment error that occurs during bonding.Also, the design of the O-ring allows for mis-alignment.

FIG. 1B is a simplified cross section of a portion of a compositesubstrate 26 formed from a first wafer 28 having a finished edge 30 anda second wafer 32 having a flush edge 34. The edge of the second waferhas not been shaped in a separate edge-finishing process; however, anartifact of a polishing process has left the corner 36 slightly rounded.The mating surfaces of the wafers that are bonded together to form acomposite substrate are often polished to provide intimate surfacecontact in the bonding process. A perimeter groove 38 also forms betweena wafer with a finished edge bonded to a wafer with a flush edge.

FIG. 1C is a simplified cross section of a portion of a compositesubstrate 40 formed from a first wafer 42 having a flush edge 44 and asecond wafer 46, also having a flush edge 48. A relatively small notch50 forms between the wafers as a result of the corner-rounding thatoccurred during the polishing process; however, this notch may notextend around the perimeter of the composite substrate, depending on thealignment of the wafers to each other.

FIG. 2A is a simplified representation of an apparatus 200 forseparating thin films of material from composite substrates. A cleavetool 202 has a base shell 204 and a top shell 206 that can be separated(e.g. by lifting off or by a hinge mechanism) in order to load acomposite substrate 208. The base shell is fabricated from a “hard”material, such as tooling plate (cast Al—Zn alloy) or other metal. Thetop shell has a hard, rigid cap 210 and also a compliant pad 212. Thecap is fabricated from tooling plate, while the compliant pad is a latexsheet approximately ⅛ inch thick with 30 durometer, but could be made ofanother compliant material, such as silicone, urethane, neoprene, orother rubber, or other compliant material. The compliant pad supportsthe upper surface of the composite substrate during the cleave processwhile allowing the composite substrate to expand slightly to separatethe composite substrate and transfer a thin film from the donorsubstrate to the handle substrate.

An O-ring 214 forms a seal around the perimeter edges of the compositesubstrate. The O-ring is hollow and operates at ambient (atmospheric)pressure to provide a compliance of 30 durometer, but could be sealedand pressurized to control the compliance and sealing force, or could besolid. A gas port 216, in this case formed by a needle extending throughthe O-ring, provides a burst, bursts, or stream of gas to a perimeterplenum formed by the sealed edge groove of the composite substrate. TheO-ring 214 does not have to seal the entire perimeter of the compositesubstrate, such as if the composite substrate has an alignment flat 218,as will be discussed below.

Gas is provided from a gas source 220, such as a dry nitrogen source,but could be other types of gases, such as air, argon, or helium. Thegas flow is controlled by a solenoid valve 222, or similar valve, whichcontrols the gas supplied to the gas port 216. In a preferredembodiment, the gas source provides gas at a nominal pressure of about300 psi., and the valve is controlled by a control line 224 to open for22 msec. to provide a burst of gas to the gas port 216. The dynamics ofthe gas burst are generally sufficient to initiate and propagatecleaving of the composite substrate. Gas may be lost through leakagebetween the O-ring and the substrate, especially where the O-ring doesnot form a seal with the substrate, but such incidental loss appears tonot be critical in cleaving the substrate. Multiple pulses of gas may beapplied to facilitate cleaving, if necessary. Alternatively, the fluidmay be replaced by a liquid or a combination of liquid and gas.

The control line can be a simple switch, or can be controlled by acontroller 230, such as a computer. The controller includes a processor232 coupled to a computer-readable memory 234, as well as a display 236,and a user input 238, such as a keyboard. The memory 234 can includeread-only memory, random-addressable memory, and/or magnetic or opticalmedia such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a compact disk. The memorystores a program 240 that configures the substrate cleave system tooperate in a selected manner. It is understood that other controllersmay be configured differently and have other appropriate block diagrams,or that the cleave system may be operated manually.

A detector 242 may be included to determine whether the cleave processhas been completed. An indicator 244 receives a signal from the detectorto indicate a change of condition of the composite substrate. Thedetector 242 can be an infrared source/sensor for example. When a cleavefront propagates underneath the detector, the transmitted infrared lightchanges due to the separation of the wafer, resulting in an opticalwedge that causes destructive interference of light at a specificspacing created in the wafer. In an alternative embodiment, an infraredsource in the base could illuminate a sensor in the cap. Thetransmissive path would be altered by the cleave front. Alternatively,the detector could be an ultrasonic transducer, or a heater/temperaturesensor. A heater could provide a pulse of heat to the compositesubstrate, and the thermal decay could indicate whether the compositesubstrate is intact, providing greater heatsinking and more rapidthermal decay, or whether the substrate has been cleaved. The indicator242 can be coupled to the controller 230, or can provide a sensorysignal for manual operation. Although the cleave indicator is shown inconjunction with a gas pressure cleave tool, a cleave indicator would bebeneficial with other types of cleave tools, such as thermal ormechanical cleave tools.

FIG. 2B is a simplified top view representing the base 204 and theO-ring 214, which is shown as sectioned. The gas port 216 is the outletof needle-like tubing 246, such as is used to make hypodermic needles.In a preferred embodiment, the tubing is made of type 316 stainlesssteel with an internal diameter of about 0.010 mm and 0.5 mm outsidediameter. The tubing can be a product made by EFD Brand Part Number5125CH-B. The gas port 216 is located about 10 mils out from the O-ring,i.e., the tubing protrudes out of the O-ring about 10 mils. A pin may beused to form the hole in the O-ring to push the tubing through.

FIG. 2C is a simplified cross view of a portion of the cleave tool 202showing further details of the O-ring 214, composite substrate 208 andthe gas port 216. The inside diameter of the O-ring is slightly largerthan the diameter of the composite substrate, allowing the composite tobe easily placed onto the base 204 of the cleave tool 202. When the top206 is assembled to the base 204 of the cleave tool 202, the O-ring 214is compressed into an oblong shape, moving the gas port 216 toward thecenter of the substrate and contacting the first edge 250 and the secondedge 252 of the composite substrate 208 to seal the edge groove and forma plenum 254. The gas port 216 is situated within the plenum 254 topressurize the plenum, thus creating forces to separate the firstsubstrate 251 from the second substrate 253. If the weakened layer 18 isweaker than the bonding interface 16, the composite substrate cleaves atthe weakened layer and transfers a thin film 256 of the first substrate251 to the second substrate 253.

A height adjustment mechanism 258 is provided to accurately align thegas port 216 with the edge groove/plenum. The height adjustmentmechanism moves, along with the tubing and gas port, relative to thetop/base of the cleave tool, as represented by the arrows 260. Alignmentaccuracy within 0.2 mm or less is preferred, and is achieved with amanually adjusted lead screw. Other height adjustment methods may beused, such as a voice coil or stepper motor, and the height adjustmentmay be controlled by the controller (see FIG. 2A.). The gas line 223 tothe height adjustment mechanism 258 is flexible to allow for the heightadjustment. Similarly, the via 262 through the base 204 is larger thanthe tubing diameter, and may be an over-sized hole or a slot.

FIG. 2D is a simplified cross section showing a further refinement ofthe tubing and gas port or fluid port. The tubing 270 has a slight bend272, of between about 5-15 degrees that is about 3 mm back from the gasport 274, so that the bend occurs within the interior of the O-ring 214.This allows vertical adjustment of the gas port 274, represented by thearrows 276, by rotating the tubing 270, represented by the arrows 278.Rotational adjustment is used by itself or in conjunction with theheight adjustment mechanism (see FIG. 2C) for fine, continuous placementof the gas port. Rotating the tubing also allows an operator to confirmthat the gas port is within the edge groove by providing tactilefeedback as the gas port contacts one edge upon rotation in onedirection, and then the other edge as rotation is reversed, if not usedin an automated system.

FIG. 2E is a simplified flow chart representing a process 280 accordingto the present invention. After placing a substrate on the base (step282), the top is closed (step 284), which compresses the compliant padagainst the substrate. As will be discussed in further detail below inrelation to FIG. 5, the top is closed in a fashion to apply a greaterforce against the substrate in the regions further from the gas port. Ina preferred embodiment of a substrate cleaving tool, closing the topalso compresses the perimeter O-ring to form a seal with at least aportion of the perimeter of the substrate.

Next, a burst of gas is applied TO a region on the perimeter of thesubstrate (step 286). If the substrate cleaving tool has a cleaveindicator, the substrate is then checked for completion of the cleave(step 288). If the cleave is complete, the process can stop (step 290).If the cleave is not complete, another burst of gas may be applied. Thesubsequent burst of gas may be of the same duration and pressure, or ofa different duration and/or pressure than the initial burst of gas. Itis noted that some substrates are easier to cleave than others,depending on the type of material and pre-cleave treatment (e.g. implantspecies, dosage, and energy), and that some cleave processes may beconsistent and reliable enough to be performed without a cleaveindicator.

FIG. 2F is a simplified diagram of a wafer cleaving system 2000according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Thisdiagram is merely an example, which should not limit the scope of theclaims herein. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize manyother variations, alternatives, and, modifications. Like referencenumerals are used in this Fig. as the previous Figs. for easyreferencing, but are not intended to be unduly limiting. Here, thecleaving system 2000 includes a variety of features such as base shell204 and top shell 206 that can be separated from each other in order toload a composite substrate 208, e.g., wafers. The base shell isfabricated from a hard and non-compliant material such as tooling plate,plastic, or other metals or combination of metals and plastics. The topshell has a hard, rigid cap 210, which houses an adjustable plate 2001.The adjustable plate is made of a flat material, which interfacesbetween adjustable members 2005 and compliant pad 212. Each of theadjustable members can adjust the vertical or z-position of theadjustable plate. In a specific embodiment, there are more than one orpreferably three or more members, which are spatially placed equaldistance from each other on the top shell. Each of the adjustablemembers is adjusted in a manner to enhance the cleaving action of thecomposite substrate. The system also can have a plate 2003 and compliantpad 212 on the base shell. Here, the plate on the base shell can beadjustable or fixed depending upon the application. The compliant padssupport the faces of the substrate during a cleaving process whileallowing such substrate to expand slightly to separate the substrate.The substrate separates a portion of the donor substrate material fromthe donor substrate.

An O-ring 214 forms a seal around the perimeter edges of the compositesubstrate. The O-ring is hollow and operates at ambient (atmospheric)pressure to provide a compliance of 30 durometer, but could be sealedand pressurized to control the compliance and sealing force or could besolid. The system also has a fluid port 216, which provides compressedfluid into the chamber to initiate and maintain a controlled cleavageprocess.

The system also has clamping means 2007, which presses the base shellagainst the top shell. The O-ring is compressed between each of theshells to seal the outer periphery of the substrate against the O-ring.In a specific embodiment, the clamping means is a “Destaco” clamp orthree of these clamps, which hold the base shell to the top shell. In aspecific embodiment, the combination of the adjustable members and theclamping means are adjusted to produce a desired pressure gradient oneach of the faces of the substrate. The pressure gradient is adjusted bythe adjustable members to produce a desired cleaving action. In aspecific embodiment, the applied pressure on the substrate faces isgreater near the fluid injection point and decreases further away fromthe fluid injection point. This gradient may improve a cleaving action.Alternatively, the pressure across the faces of each substrate isconstant and free from a gradient to improve cleaving action.

FIG. 3A is a simplified cross section of fine tubing 300 supported by atubing retainer 302. The tubing retainer is co-axial with the finetubing, and is a section of drilled metal rod, for example, glued to thetubing, but could be other material, such as plastic. The tubingretainer 302 supports the fine tubing 300 to the interior surface 304 ofthe O-ring, thus increasing the stiffness of the tubing assembly andallowing for better height control of the gas port 306, as well asbetter durability, and the option of using finer and/or thinner-walledtubing.

FIG. 3B is a simplified cross section of fine tubing 310 supported by atubing retainer 312, which is further supported by a retainer collet314. The retainer collet provides additional stiffness to the tubingassembly, and allows sub-assemblies of fine tubing and tubing retainersto be manufactured in anticipation of rapid exchanging of gas ports formaintenance or to configure the cleave system for different substrates.In lieu of a retainer collet, a tubing retainer with a stepped diametermay be manufactured, either out of a single piece of rod, for example,or assembled from multiple pieces.

Although the above injector has been described in terms of tubing, itcan also be may other means for supplying gas and/or fluid to thesystem. Here, the means can include, among others, almost any suitablemember that directs fluid into the system. The member can be shaped in avariety of configurations such as a rectangle, a semicircle, or othershape, which is suitable for directing the fluid into the system. Theend of the means can be flared, pointed, or any other shape suitable forsupplying the fluid. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognizemany other variations, alternatives, and modifications.

FIG. 4 is a simplified cross section of a portion of a cleave toolshowing alternative embodiments for the O-ring 414 and the bottom shell402. The outer diameter of the O-ring is substantially greater than thethickness of the composite substrate . Additionally, the O-ring does nothave a constant thickness, but rather has a thicker section 406 near thegas port. The thicker section of the O-ring where the O-ring willcontact the substrate to form an edge seal improves the contact forceand stiffens the side of the plenum formed by the O-ring. An O-ringgroove 410 is provided in the bottom shell, and a similar groove may beprovided in the top shell (not shown), or the top shell may be flat.

FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram representing how force is applied to thetop shell (not shown in this figure) to hold it against the bottom shell(not shown in this figure) and thus provide pressure to the compositesubstrate during the cleave process. A circle 502 as it would lie underthe top shell represents the outline of a substrate. The position of thegas port is represented by the contact of a line with the circle 504. Acleave front is represented by a curved line 506, propagating in thedirections indicated by arrows 508. The shape of the cleave front ischosen solely for illustrative purposes, and does not necessarilyrepresent the true shape of the cleave front, which depends on manyfactors, including the prior processing and type of composite substratebeing cleaved. Force is applied at three locations, represented by thesmall circles 510, 512, 514. Force is generated by cam-over clampsmounted to the base shell support structure. The top shell is placed onthe base shell, and the clamps are set to force the top shell againstthe base shell and to compress the O-ring. The force the clamps applymay be adjusted by turning the clamp screw to extend the length of theclamp pad from the frame, as is well known. The nominal force of allclamps is set to provide a pressure on the substrate of about 5 to 50psia. Then, the clamp screws of the two clamps 510, 512 nearest the gasport 504 are extended an additional ¼ turn further than the clamp 514furthest from the gas port.

This provides a differential pressure across the substrate. Adifferential pressure is desirable because of the nature of the cleaveinitiation and propagation. In most materials of interest, the cleave isessentially a stressed fracture. The energy required to initiate such afracture may be lowered by providing a local mechanical defect, such asa crack or scratch. Thus, once the cleave is initiated in the lowpressure region (near the gas port), higher pressure may be applied tothe substrate to keep the cleaved halves from “jumping” and potentiallybreaking across the face of the half. A sensor, represented by a circle518, is placed near the flat of the substrate to determine if the cleavehas propagated through the substrate, as discussed above. Alternatively,a constant pressure may be applied, depending on the type of material(s)the substrate is made of, the thickness of the cleaved halves, and thepressure and duration of the gas being applied, and other factors.

A pressure gradient may be important to prevent some compositesubstrates from flying apart and breaking when cleaved, while allowingthe cleave to form and propagate. It is believed the combination of theapplied pressure gradient and the compliant pad in the top shell allowthe efficient cleaving of composite substrates while avoiding breakage,especially of the donor substrate. It is recognized that othercombinations of compliant pads and pressures may obtain similar results,and that different pressures and pressure gradients may be appropriatefor different materials or cleave conditions. Similarly, the force maybe applied between the top shell and the base shell by a variety ofmechanisms, such as pre-set springs, weights, gas or hydrauliccylinders, or even a compliant pad with a graded durometer, thedurometer being less near the gas port, where the cleave is initiated.

FIG. 6A is a simplified sectioned view of a tool 600 that combines amechanical cleaving action with a pressure cleaving action. The tool hasan edge 602 suitable for contacting the edge of a composite wafer. Thecomposite wafer may have a perimeter groove, as shown in FIGS. 1A and1B, or may be composed of flush-edged wafers, as shown in FIG. 1C. Theedge of the tool is lightly tapped against the edge of the compositesubstrate to help initiate a cleave. Gas is admitted to the cleaveregion via a gas port 616 incorporated into the tool edge to helpinitiate and/or propagate the cleave formed by the mechanical action ofthe edge of the tool. In another embodiment, thick walled tubing with asmall I.D., or rod with a small center through hole, is sharpened to achisel edge. Alternatively, the process may be performed in two stepsusing a razor blade, for example, tapped against the edge of a compositewafer before placing the composite wafer into a cleaving apparatus, asshown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 6B is a simplified illustration of a substrate cleaving apparatusincorporating a tool similar to the tool shown in FIG. 6A. A compositesubstrate 40 formed from two substrates with flush edges, as shown inFIG. 1C, is placed in the cleaving tool. An edged tool 601 extendsthrough the O-ring 614 to contact the edge 604 of the composite wafer.The edged tool is tapped against the composite substrate by letting aweight 606 of a selected mass supported by an arm 608 of selected lengthfall a selected height, h, to contact the edge tool so that the edge ofthe tool taps the edge of the composite wafer with a selected force andmomentum. Other mechanisms can be used to create the desired force, suchas a spring-loaded trigger mechanism or a pneumatic cylinder. A forcesensor 610, such as a strain gauge or electrical switch, detects whenthe weight strikes the edged tool and triggers a pre-set pulse of gasfrom the gas source 220, controlled by the valve 222, which is coupledto the pressure sensor. Additional control structure is not shown forpurposes of clarity, as such structure is well known in the art.

FIG. 6C is a simplified flow chart of a cleave process 620 according toanother embodiment of the present invention. A substrate is first tappedwith an edged tool as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. It is believed that thiscan have many effects that promote cleaving, including providing awedging force between the eventual cleaved halves of the substrate,initiating a scratch or crack to lower the energy required to initiate acleave, and to form a small volume for the gas to enter and separate thesubstrate by gas pressure. After tapping the perimeter of the substratewith the edged tool, gas pressure is applied to the tapped region, asdescribed above. The tapping and gas pressure may be performedessentially concurrently, sequentially in the same substrate cleavingtool, or at different locations and times.

While the above is a complete description of specific embodiments of thepresent invention, various modifications, variations, and alternativesmay be employed. For example, although the substrates discussed havebeen generally round, substrates of other shapes, such as a rectangularshape, could be used. Specifically, a silicon-on-silicon wafer may beused instead of a silicon-on-insulator wafer, or a silicon carbide,gallium-arsenide, or silicon-germanium wafer may be surface finished.Additionally, the cleaved surface of the donor wafer could be preparedfor another thin-film transfer by the above methods. Other variationswill be apparent to persons of skill in the art. These equivalents andalternatives are intended to be included within the scope of the presentinvention. Therefore, the scope of this invention should not be limitedto the embodiments described, and should instead be defined by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for cleaving a substrate, theapparatus comprising: a base configured to accept and support asubstrate; a top movably coupled to the base, the substrate beingdisposed between the base and the top; a compliant pad proximate to thesubstrate such that when the top is coupled to the base, a selectedamount of pressure is applied to the substrate through the compliantpad; an edge seal capable of forming a gas seal around a perimeter ofthe substrate when the top is coupled to the base to form a plenum; anda gas port coupled to the plenum and capable of providing gas to theplenum to pressurize the plenum and cleave the substrate.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the compliant pad comprises rubber with adurometer of about
 30. 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressureapplied to the substrate is applied as a pressure gradient increasingfrom an initial pressure near the gas port.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1further comprising: a gas source capable of providing gas at a gaspressure of about 300 psig; and a valve disposed between the gas sourceand the gas port, the valve capable of modulating the flow of gas fromthe gas source to the gas port to create a burst of gas at the gas port.5. An apparatus for cleaving a substrate, the apparatus comprising: abase configured to accept and support a substrate having an edge groove;a top movably coupled to the base, the substrate being disposed betweenthe base and the top; a rubber pad incorporated into the top, the rubberpad applying a selected amount of pressure, as a pressure gradient, tothe substrate when the base is coupled to the top; an O-ring essentiallysurrounding the substrate and forming a gas seal with at least a portionof a perimeter of the substrate to form a plenum between the edge grooveand the O-ring; a tube extending through the O-ring, an end of the tubeforming a gas port in the plenum, the tube being coupled to a valvecapable of modulating gas at a pressure of at least about 300 psig froma gas supply through the tube into the plenum.